Flush tank ball



March 31, 1936. J. E. WALKER FLUSH TANK .BALL' Filed Oct. 22, 1934completed.

erly aligned seated Patented Mar. 31, 1936 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFEQEFLUSH TANK BALL Jack E. Walker,

Radiator Specialty Los Angeles, Calif., assignorto Company, Charlotte,N. 0.,

6 Claims.

This invention relates to flush tanks, and particularly pertains to theconstruction of a flush tank ball.

In the construction and operation of flush tanks -it is usually thepractice to provide a valve seat at the bottom of the tank which seat isnormally closed by a ball dependent from superposed operating means. Itoften occurs that due to the surge of water within the tank, andmisalignment of the parts of the operating means, the tank ball does notproperly assume a sealing position upon the valve seat, with the resultthat the tank will continue to discharge water through the valve after aflushing operation has been It is the principal object of the presentinvention to provide a tank ball so constructed as to insure that itwill automatically adjust itself to conform to the valve seatirrespective of whether or not it assumed .a propposition thereon, andwith the assurance that under all conditions the tank ball willefiectively seal olf the tank when lowered to its intended closedposition.

The invention contemplates the provision of a tank ball of shell shape,the side walls of which are designed to readily conform to the mouth ofa valve seat, and the top wall of which is adapted to receive the usualrigid Valve stem, but is capable of .a desired fiexure to permitautomatic adjustment of the ball upon the seat irrespective of thecondition of alignment of the valve stem.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawing in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view showing the application of the presentinvention to the usual flush tank structure.

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical section through a tank ball embodying thepresent invention.

Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section through the tank ball and the valveseat showing the normal seated position of the ball with relationthereto, and indicating further by dotted lines the manner in which theball accommodates misalignment of parts of the operating mechanism.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, I indicates a valve seatupon which a tank ball ll normally seats, as shown in Fig. 8 of thedrawing. The valve seat is a tubular member having an upwardly andoutwardly curved lip I2 upon which the tank ball I i seats. The ball isprovided with a rigid detachable stem I3 which is connected with a linkI l carried by a valve operating lever I5. The valve operating lever isof any common design as may be employed in a flush tank structure. Thestem I3 is guided through a guide arm I6 carried by an overflow pipe llof the flush tank. It often occurs however that the guide arm l supportsthe stem I3 in a position of misalignment with relation to the valveseat I0, and that under some conditions the surge of water within theflush tank will swing the stem I3 and the tank ball to a position ofmisalignment with relation to the valve seat, with the result that thetank ball will not efiectively and completely seal the passagewaythrough the valve seat I 0. This is due in most instances to the factthat the wall portions contacting with the lip of the valve seat do nothave sufficient yieldability to properly conform to the mouth of thevalve seat, and for the additional reason that the valve stem 13 and thetank ball have a substantially rigid relationship to each other. In-

order to overcome these disadvantages'a tank ball of the construction asshown in the drawing is provided, which is formed with a frusto-conicalsealing wall I8 having a central opening I9 at its bottom, and whichopening is surrounded by an inturned flexible lip 2.0. Thefrusto-conical side' wall [8 is gradually reduced in thickness from itsupper edge to the point of juncture with the lip 20, thereby affording avariable thickness in the side wall, and thus a progressively variabletension of the side wall as exerting pressure against the curved lip I2of the mouth of the valve It). The frusto-conical wall section I8 isinverted sothat its wall extends downwardly and inwardly through themouth of the Valve seat Ill. The upper edge of the frusto-conical wallsection merges into a cone shaped top wall 2| which terminates in atubular neck 22.. The end of this neck carries a boss 23 to receive thethreaded end of the valve stem I3. By reference to Figs. 2 and 3 it'willbe seen that the adjacent faces 24 and 25- of the neck .and the boss aredisposed at an angle to each other to form an annular tapered space 26which will permit lateral fiexure of the boss 23 within the tubular neck22 and such fiexure of the neck as is necessary to permit the tank ballto assume a properly seated position on the valve seat I 0, irrespectiveof the condition of alignment of the valve stem I3. It is understoodthat the tank ball is made of high grade rubber stock which insures thatits Walls will have desired flexibility and a predetermined amount ofrigidity. By this construction it is possible for the valve ball to belight in weight so that it will readily lift from the valve seat andallow proper flushing which would not be the case in the use of heaviertank balls. In order to insure that the ball will have sufficientlightness and will at the same time have proper rigidity to cause it tofirmly seat upon the valve seat the upper conical wall 2! is maderelatively thin, and its under face is provided with a plurality ofradially extending reinforcing ribs 21 which terminate adjacent themerging line between the upper 'wall'section 2| and the side wallsection i8. These relatively rigid ribs insure that the ball will beproperly forced on to its seat and will at the same time provide .aproper connection with the side wall to cause the ball to be readilywithdrawn from its seat and the seal broken between it and the seat whenflushing is desired. The ribs also permit spreading of the ball at thepoint of contact with the valve seat due to the fact that the interunderpressure. In fact, the entire flexibility, of the ball insures that itwill be properly seated due to a normal action of gravity, and the waterpressure which would be within the tank. The

valve ball will properly seat even though it may not assume its intendedposition in exact alignment with its seat. It will also be evident thatsince the ball is of light weight and is properly balanced it willwithstand water pressure and will not stick upon the seat when it isdesired to raise it.

In operation of the present invention the tank ball II is suitablysuspended upon its stem 13 and supporting link l4. When the lever l5swings toward its lowermost position from the position indicated in Fig.l of the drawing, the tank ball is deposited on the valve seat Ill. The

action of gravity and weight of water upon the ball will cause theconical portion l8 to move into the mouth of the valve seat l0 and willcause the tapered side wall to conform to the curved surface l2 of themouth of the valve seat with variable tension, and thus in a manner toinsure that the wall I8 will properly conform to the contour of thecurved face 12 with which it is brought into contact. In the event thatthe valve stem 13 is out of alignment .as indicated by dotted lines inFig. 3 of the drawing, the top wall 2| and the tubular neck 22 will flexappropriately to permit the wall portion l8 to assume a proper sealingposition with relation to the valve seat, irrespective of the misalignedposition of the valve stem. When the valve ball is to be lifted from itsseat an upward pull on the member 13 even though misaligned will producea vertical drawing action on the valve ball and readily pull it awayfrom its seat.

It will thus be seen that the tank ball here disclosed embodies astructure which is decidedly simple in its design, is of light weight,and of proper pliability to insure that the valve ball will at alltimesform a seal when positioned upon the valve seat, and that thiswould be accomplished whether or not the ball registers accurately withthe seat.

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention as now known tome, it will be understood that various changes may be made in thecombination, construction, and arrangement of parts by those skilled inthe art without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. A tank ball comprising a conical top wall flaring outwardly anddownwardly and having a plurality of radially extending reinforcing ribsalong its inner face, an inverted conical side wall formed integraltherewith .and inclined inwardly and downwardly, said side wall beingprogressively reduced in thickness from its top to its bottom, andterminating in a relatively thin inturned flange surrounding a centralopening at its bottom.

2. A tank ball comprising a centralboss dean annular space to occurtherebetween, a tank ball shell formed integral with the lower edge ofsaid neck, said shell, neck, and ball being formed of flexible andresilient material, and radially extending reinforcing ribs within theupper part of the shell and formed integral with K the wall thereof.

3. A tank ball having a resilient body portion adapted to rest upon avalve seat, a flexible tubular neck extending upwardly from a conicaltop wall flaring downwardly and outwardly, said neck formed as acontinuation of the wall thereof, and a boss formed integral with thetop of the neck and extending downwardly thereinto to receive a rigidvalve stem, an inverted conical side wall formed integral with the topwall and inclined inwardly and downwardly, said side wall progressing inthickness from its top to its bottom.

4. A tank ball comprising a resilient body portion adapted to rest upona valve seat, a flexible tubular neck extending upwardly from a conicaltop wall flaring downwardly and outwardly, said neck formed as acontinuation of the wall thereof, and a boss formed integral with thetop of the neck and extending downwardly there into to receive a rigidvalve stem, the inner diameter of the tubular neck being materiallygreater than the boss to cause an annular space to occur therebetween,said conical top characterized as having a plurality of reinforcing ribsspaced radially around its inner face, an inverted conical side wallformed integral with the top wall and inclined inwardly and downwardly,said side wall decreasing in thickness from its top to its bottom, andterminating in a relatively thin inturned flange surrounding a centralopening at its bottom.

5. A flush tank ball comprising a resilient hemispherical body portiondecreasing in thickness from its top to its bottom toallow flexurethereof, said hemispherical body portion being formed with a relativelyrigid frusto-conical top wall, said frusto-conical top wall being formedwith a plurality of reinforcing ribs on its inner face to stiffen saidfrusto-conical top wall, said frustoconical top wall being formed with atubular neck projecting upwardly above the frusto-conical top wall, aboss formed integral with the top of the neck and projecting downwardlythereinto, the upper end of said boss closing the frusto-conical wallsection while the lower end of said boss is free, said boss beingadapted to receive a rigid valve stem.

6. A flush tank ball of the type described comprising a resilienthemispherical body portion formedto allow flexure thereof, saidhemispherical body portion being formed with a relatively rigidfrusto-conical top wall, said frusto-conical top wall being formed witha tubular neck projecting upwardly from said top wall, said tubular neckbeing formed with a boss integral therewith and projecting downwardlythereinto and forming an annular space therearound, said boss being freeat its lower end.

JACK E. WALKER.

